Established in 1916, the Plaza Restaurant & Oyster Bar in Thomasville holds the distinction of being Georgia’s oldest restaurant.
It first opened on North Broad Street, and over the years it expanded several times under a variety of mostly Greek owners. In the late 1970s, the Plaza moved to its present location on the corner of South Broad Street and Smith Avenue.
In 2007, it was purchased by Michael Regina, a Manhattan-born chef who owned and operated Italian restaurants in New York’s Westchester County for about 14 years.
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
“I wanted to live where I could play golf year-round, and I stumbled on this place, where the owners were old and didn’t really care anymore,” Regina said as he sat at a table in the restaurant.
“The place was in terrible shape,” he said, “but I was able to restore it. I put in new carpeting, and I’ve done a lot of stuff that you can’t see, including new walk-in refrigerators, stoves and ovens, and even roofs.”
Asked how he wound up working in restaurants, Regina laughed and shook his head.
“I got into the business when I was a kid,” he said. “I was a busboy at an Italian restaurant. Believe it or not, I went over to the owner one afternoon and I asked him if he would teach me how to cook. Later, he had trouble with one of his cooks and he asked me if I wanted the job. I said yeah and I started cooking right then and there.”
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
The sprawling Plaza includes a cafe and formal dining rooms, plus six private dining rooms, with seating ranging from 30 to 300.
“We do everything from corporate events to birthdays and graduations,” Regina said. “But we do a pretty good walk-in business, too. They’ve heard it’s Georgia’s oldest restaurant and they want to check it out.”
There have been a lot of changes to the menu, including the addition of such Italian favorites as spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, chicken Parmesan, penne alla vodka and veal Marsala.
“It was considered a Greek American restaurant when I bought it,” Regina said. “It was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so it was like a diner kind of place, and I wanted to get away from that.
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
“But people come in to get Greek salads all the time. And another thing is the Greek-style chicken, which is broiled with some Greek spices. We cook it to order, and it comes out nice and juicy.”
The addition of Oyster Bar to the Plaza’s name was Regina’s idea.
“I added the oysters 17 years ago, because there was no place around to get oysters in this town,” he said. “We used to source them from Apalachicola, but they closed down. Now, I get them out of the Delaware Water Gap. I have Inland Seafood in Atlanta, so it’s not a problem to get 10 or 15 bushels a week.”
The Plaza’s menu features at least 60 items, and nearly everything is made from scratch.
“We do our own butchering with all our steaks,” Regina said proudly. “We have large rib-eyes, filet mignon and prime rib. And we have calf’s liver. Nobody else has it anymore. You wouldn’t believe how many people come in and eat liver.”
The Quick Lunch menu is served 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. It’s essentially a meat-and-three, with one entree, a salad and two sides, priced $11-$13. You also can opt for the $12 salad bar and add a dessert for $4.
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
On the afternoon I stopped by, the entrees included sliced pork with Marsala sauce, a fish sandwich, a quarter dark or white fried chicken, grilled or fried shrimp and several more choices.
There was an even longer list of sides, including, mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle, mac and cheese and the salad bar (for a $3 upcharge).
The pies baked by one of the restaurant’s longtime chefs include key lime, chocolate, coconut and lemon meringue, priced at $4 during lunch.
There’s also a lively lounge near the entrance, dubbed the Oyster Bar, that attracts older regulars by day and a younger crowd in the evening.
“On Thursdays, we do karaoke; on Fridays, we do a live band; and on Saturdays, we do a DJ dance party,” Regina said. “I have customers that eat here three times a week, and I have people that are in my bar almost every night.
“It’s been very successful. I’ve been here 17 years now, and it’s been good to me.”
Plaza Restaurant & Oyster Bar. 217 S. Broad St., Thomasville. 229-226-5153, thomasvilleplaza.com
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